


Memories Not Remembered

by SeizureSeizer



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, ノラガミ | Noragami
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-18 06:25:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2338424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeizureSeizer/pseuds/SeizureSeizer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a future twisted by corruption, where humans are preyed upon by enormous demons, gods and goddesses still roam to earth, helping those in need. For a price. A stray god fights to remain in people's memories, known to very few as Levi. High school student Mikasa suffers from depression after losing her brother, Eren and best friend, Armin. But somehow, these four will cross paths again, and the world will never be the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Lifeguard on Duty

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fanfiction, yay! It will vaguely follow the plot of Noragami, but with our favorite AOT characters! School has started for me, so it won't be updated very often, but I'll see it through to the end. Any constructive criticism is welcomed warmly. I can only get better. I hope you enjoy my efforts!
> 
> Also, I've never tried to publish anything on this website before, and the preview shows ad links in the middle of the story. I don't know if they show up when actually published or not, so you have my sicerest apologies. I have no idea what I'm doing, so this will be an adventure for all of us.

“It’s looking particularly stormy tonight, huh Petra?”

“At least it’s not in the city, Levi,” the redhead replied.

“True,” he admitted, looking over the placid lake. Where were those disgusting demons? His eyes darted in every direction. There was a camp ground below. This could go one of two ways: a titan would reveal its true form, a monstrous beast of unimaginable height; or it could have possessed someone already.

Terrified birds suddenly darted from the trees as ear-piercing shrieks rose from below.

“Shit,” Levi muttered, launching into the air. “Ral,” he called, and once enveloped in an orange light, Petra spun into his hand as a Marine Raider stiletto. “Be ready Petra, there’s going to be blood.”

Damn. A tent was already torn to shreds. The screams belonged to two teenagers, one struggling backwards on the ground, while the other was already pinned by one of the attackers. A police officer, who would have seemed completely human.

If it wasn’t for the fact that his pupils had rolled all the way into the back of their sockets, only the whites of his eyes staring out as he plunged his knife into the eye of the freckled youth. He shrieked and convulsed, grasping desperately at the policeman’s arm with one hand. One? Levi glanced over to find a severed hand lying several feet away. A few more steps and a leg was stranded in the dust, already attracting files. The left side of his chest cavity was already carved like a thanksgiving turkey. Was that poor bastard attacked with a hacksaw?! The last of his problems seemed to be his face.

“Marco!” his friend cried, but the officer pulled out his revolver. Now it was this kid’s turn.

“You who would dare defile humanity, I-ugh, that little speech you want me to say takes too long, Petra,” Levi huffed. There was no crack or thump as the tip of his blade burst through the front of the man’s chest, avoiding the spine, but it had pierced perfectly through the heart. Levi was a whirl of color as he spun around and landed a vicious side kick to the side of the other man’s head, hurling the man five feet back where he slammed into a tree. Then Levi pounced and plunged Petra through his heart. “Disgusting,” Levi grumbled, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off of her. “You alright, br-”

“Three,” the boy whispered.

“What?”

“Three. There were three.”

Fuck.

Besides that brat with blood gushing from his face, any screaming had stopped a long time ago. With a shaking hand, the uninjured one pointed toward the lake.

Levi knew they were probably already too late. But it was worth a shot.

“HEL-” started a desperate, sputtering scream, but it quickly vanished as Levi slid to a stop. It was yet another police officer, leaning over the side of a boat as he shoved a blond head underwater.

“Levi, do something!” Petra begged.

“It’s too late,” Levi sighed casually, but the stupid shinki wouldn’t stop yelling. In a flash, he was racing across the water. He flipped the knife in his hand and drove it into the last officer’s heart. Tossing the body aside, Levi looked down into the water, which was once again becoming still.

Bad sign.

“We should probably contact his family,” Levi muttered as he fished the silent boy out of the water.

“Do I have to keep telling you to do something?!” Petra roared.

“Ral,” Levi sighed, and she appeared beside him, human again. “There’s nothing left to do.”

“I’m not letting him die,” she rasped, dropping to her knees. “One-two-three…” she started mumbled under her breath with each compression. Levi wanted to tell her to stop. They both knew that brat wasn’t getting back up. But she kept pumping her arms up and down, desperately breathing air into his waterlogged lungs. There was a crack. She broke a rib. But she wasn’t stopping. Levi couldn’t understand why she couldn’t handle this. Crack. They had handled plenty of corrupted phantoms before. How was this any different? Crack. Tears were streaming down her face. Crack.

Levi touched her shoulder gently. “Petra. Stop. He’s dead.”

“B-b-but I…I…”

“This is one for the police now. Let’s go.” He slung the lifeless body over his shoulder. This kid had to be at least twenty-four years younger than him, but even his small figure was larger than Levi’s. At least he was light. For dead weight.

“NO! We can’t! I won’t!” Levi glowered at her. That was an order, not a suggestion.

“Ral,” he snapped.

“Hey! You can’t-” she transformed, and he carried her away with ease. “You can’t do that!” she wailed.

“I just did.” With that, they strolled back to the others.

They could hear him sobbing before they made it to the camp site. Freckles’ friend was just as desperately holding a T-shirt to his friend’s face. “Help me, please! I-I can’t stop the bleeding!” It was obvious to tell when he saw the limp blond. Whatever color that was left in his face was gone. “No…no way…that can’t be…oh gods.” His arms fell to his sides. “Armin…you…”

“Yeah, here’s your friend,” Levi said tactlessly, laying the pale body next to the other. “And I’d give up on Marco. He’s going to bleed out.”

But it seemed the survivor couldn’t hear anything anymore. He sat silently, staring with hollow eyes at something they couldn’t see. Levi stretched. “Just tell the police he drowned while you were fishing or something. Before you could do anything, you were attacked by a bear. Or something. Don’t worry about the police officers. I killed the titans possessing them, not their actual human form. Good luck.” He had to leave listening to both that kid and Petra sobbing.

How annoying.  
…

 

“No! I’m done! Levi, I can’t take this anymore!”

“Petra, stop acting ridiculous.”

“You don’t understand! You’re a worthless god no one remembers! You’re homeless and broke and-and-” her tears had never stopped, “we couldn’t even save two little boys!”

“Petra, they were teenagers. Besides, you can’t save everyone.”

“You’re a monster!” Petra cried. “How dare you say that? That’s horrible!”

“That’s life,” Levi snapped.

“Release me.” The request was barely a whisper.

“I-”

“Release me!” she snarled. Fine. Sure. He didn’t need her anyway. A weak shinki was the last thing any god would want. Especially a war god. Pathetic. Levi made sure to never break eye contact as he spelled her name in the air. It shattered, and as it vanished, so did the name on her arm. “I should have done this a long time ago,” Petra spat.

“I could say the same,” Levi replied rather carelessly, and without another word the woman pivoted on her heel and ran as fast as she could, never looking back.  
...

Mikasa needed her karate now more than ever. How could she have lost so many people? All she had left were her mom and dad. Not even that. Adoptive parents. Being alive wasn’t very appealing when your brother and your best friend were both gone.

She was on her way back home from the studio after a long training session that had ended in destroying another practice dummy. Did she feel any better? She didn’t know. Feeling was an ability she had lost over the last few months.

“Mikasa!” two voices called in unison.

 

“Hey Connie, hey Sasha,” she greeted them quietly.

Their smiles slowly faded. “Um…how are you?” Sasha asked awkwardly. But Mikasa didn’t answer.

“We were wondering if you wanted to hang and uh…and play video…games…” Connie’s voice trailed off as she turned toward the street. She didn’t mean to be so distant. She didn’t mean to have that look on her face that always turned people away. Socialize? That’d be good for her, right? Give her a chance to leave the house and-

“Look out!” she screamed, jumping the railing and dashing across the road. What was this guy doing, trying to commit suicide?!

Horns blared as she shoved him out of the way of the oncoming bus. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked breathlessly, getting back up.

He was a short little man with a black undercut, a sour look, and black eyes that seemed to hate the world. She cocked an eyebrow at the green cloak he seemed to have borrowed from The Lord of the Rings and-was that a cravat? Seriously? Did he know it was the twenty-first century?

“I didn’t need any help,” he growled, and began walking away.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Mikasa asked, snatching his arm. But he shook loose, looking at her with disgust as he brushed off his sleeve. “Wow, I just saved your life!”

“Shouldn’t you be concerned about your own?” he asked flatly, pointing back at the road.

“No, gods, no! Mikasa, Mikasa open your eyes!” Sasha was pleading, shaking…was that her body?

“I dunno, she just jumped in front of the bus!” Connie tried helplessly to explain to paramedics.

“What just happened?!” Mikasa cried. “Am-am I dead?!” she squawked.

“Kind of,” Levi replied with a shrug, and then pointed again.

“What the-?” Mikasa started with a jump. When she turned a tail waved in her face to greet her.

“That’s a good sign. You’ll return to your body eventually,” he explained.

“You mean I’m not-” then everything went dark.  
…  
“Thank the gods! Mikasa!” her mom cheered, grasping Mikasa’s hand tightly in her own. Sasha burst into a huge grin as she clung to Connie’s arm. But she was cut off from anything she was about to say.

“Mom, where’s Eren?” Mikasa mumbled.

Her mom’s grip slackened. “Mikasa…Eren’s…” Oh yeah. Guess coming back from the dead makes you forget about things like that.

For a moment.

How she wished she could cry. But after she turned nine, she couldn’t remember a single tear falling down her cheek. She wanted to go back. Please, just let her go back. If she was dead, then she could see Eren. That’s all she wanted!

“Mikasa?”

Mikasa let out a startled gasp as her mom’s voice brought her back to reality. She turned to find her dad had joined them, a smile on his face. But his eyes were wrought with sorrow. He had new gray hairs. “How are you feeling?” he asked delicately, pulling the stethoscope from around his neck to check her heartbeat.

“I’m fine,” Mikasa mumbled, turning away. Pigeons stared back at her from the windowsill. That seemed to be her catchphrase. I’m fine.

“What made you do something like that?” her mom asked, voice overtaken by concern.

“A guy was about to get hit by that bus,” Mikasa explained simply.

“I don’t know, I don’t remember seeing any guy,” Sasha admitted bluntly, tapping her chin as she stared at the ceiling, as if something in the paneling would help her remember.

“That’s because there wasn’t. Are you sure you’re okay?” Connie asked. It was strange seeing him serious for once.

“Yeah,” Mikasa struggled to sit up, “there was a creepy guy with dark circles under his eyes, and he was wearing a weird cloak. Didn’t you see him?”

“I think we’d remember someone dressed like that!” Connie laughed, and Sasha joined in.

“I guess,” Mikasa admitted.

“See? She’s still imagining things! Please Grisha, let her stay,” her mom insisted.

“You know there’s a long waiting list for my hospital,” he reminded her, but she wasn’t having it.

“Okay, one night. Don’t worry Mikasa, I’ll make sure you’re nice and healthy by tomorrow. You just need a good night’s rest.” Mikasa didn’t reply. She was ready to wake up from this nightmare.  
…  
“It hurts,” a voice moaned, and Mikasa’s eyes snapped open. It was dark now, and the clock’s hands had sprung forward to one o’clock in the morning.

“Make it stop,” another groaned. Her eyes darted to every corner of the room. She was alone. So where were these voices coming from?

“Mommy, where are you?” a child’s voice called out.

Every voice she heard was sick in some way. She heard the echoes of pained sobs and people retching violently; cruel series of coughs that no doubt brought blood, and weak cries for help no one seemed to be answering.

“Oi.”

Mikasa was very proud of herself about how she had such strong control over her own emotions. Now was not one of those times. She let out a startled shriek at the sight of that same man from earlier that day.

In the next second, she had darted across the room, feet planted firmly, fists in the air. There was no way she could lose to this guy. After she kicked his ass she would call the police.

“Hey, hey, hey, I didn’t come here to fight,” he snapped. “I was actually here to make sure you were going to stay in that body of yours.”

So it was true. It really wasn’t a dream. It was the same man, and she had really died. Or, something close to it. “Tell me the truth,” Mikasa hissed. “You weren’t worried about me, why did you come here?”

“You’re right,” he sneered. “I found you amusing and I was wondering just how much more entertainment I could get out of you.” Mikasa gritted her teeth and was about to take her first step forward when there was another disembodied groan. Her heart immediately began to pound faster. She couldn’t control it. This fear, where was it coming from? “So you can hear them,” he sniffed, staring at his fingernails.

“Who, or, what?”

“Spirits.”

Right. Of course. The dead people. Wasn’t that obvious? Mikasa couldn’t figure out whether to laugh or back away slowly. His face never changed from that loathing, never-ending glare. By the gods, he was serious. He actually believed what he was saying. “Who…who are you?” she asked cautiously.

“Me? You really need to ask?” he snorted, admiring the hospital room. He could see his own reflection staring back at him in the tiles. This was why he loved hospitals. Titans were a pain, but they were always so clean. “Why, I’m the god Levi, at your service.” He took a little bow. Even his body movements oozed with sarcasm.

“Never heard of you,” Mikasa replied flatly. He had to make up a god to fit his own delusions! “Hey, will you pass me my phone? It’s in my bag,” Mikasa asked, and he tossed her the yellow iPhone.

For a moment the only sound was the tick tick tick of each number being pressed.

“Yes, hello police? I’d like to report an intruder.” This man was absolutely insane. Not only did he believe they were surrounded by ghosts, but he claimed to be a god! At this level of psychotic, what was keeping him from chopping her up with an axe?

“Waitwaitwaitwait!” suddenly Levi was waving frantically in the air. “I’ll prove it,” he said, voice crawling with contempt.

The next thing she knew, he was standing right beside her, holding her phone in his hand. He smirked at her speechlessness and pressed ‘end’. She had never even felt it leave her palm, her fingers still curled as if holding it. And…how had Levi crossed the entire room without lifting one foot? Sure, but he just couldn’t be. “Cool trick, but I don’t think gods wear bibs.”

“It’s a cravat you uncultured swine.” Wow he snapped easily. If she said the right thing, Mikasa might be the one to turn him into entertainment. “Look, titans are attracted to me, and I can’t fight ‘em without a shinki. If I stick around, you’ll be in danger, and I don’t want to be in your debt again.”

“Titan…s?” this guy wasn’t making any sense. Had he ever been?

“They’re demons. They possess people and do all kinds of other nasty shit. Do I have to explain everything to you?” he shook his head. “I’m getting tired of playing teacher. So I’m going to leave before you start asking for help on your algebra homework.” He popped open the window, and before she could stop him, leapt straight out. Didn’t he know they were on the fifth floor?! She rushed to the window, but it was closed again. She tried to open it, struggling for several seconds. It took a moment for her to realize there was no lock on it.

That wasn’t an issue, considering the window wasn’t able to be opened in the first place.


	2. Corruption is Relative

…

“Mikasa!” Connie shouted. She kept walking. “Mikasa!” Oh joy. It was time for her favorite question of the day.

“Hey Mikasa, Are you okay?” There was no right answer to that. How could there be when Mikasa wasn’t even sure herself? Sasha skipped to her side and Connie appeared on the other. “You weren’t at school today.”

“I know.” They both stopped and stared at each other, and Mikasa used the reflection in the store window to watch their silent argument. Sasha was nodding in different directions while Connie kept shrugging and shaking his head. She rubbed her eyes and skimmed over the ads taped on the glass. Maybe if she ignored them long enough they would know she wanted to be alone.

In bright neon letters a flyer screamed ‘WATCH TITANS PLAY LIVE’. Titans? That sounded familiar. Those were…demons, right? Who taught her that? The guy, the one who jumped in front of the bus! “Connie, Sasha, what do you know about titans?” Mikasa asked urgently, and turned to find their argument had become physical. They both stood frozen in place, legs locked within each other, and Connie still had a fistful of Sasha’s hair while she continued to tug on his cheek.

“Ti-ins?” Connie asked, swatting Sasha’s hand away. “Like the band? I didn’t think you were into that kind of music.”

“No dummy, she means the movies!” Sasha snickered.

“I love those movies! What’s your favorite; four, three, or six?!” That was it. She had lost them. She readjusted her grip on her bag and in a grateful realization, dug out her phone. Mikasa immediately opened the search engine and typed in ‘define titan’. But with each definition she read, she grew more and more disappointed while she grew closer and closer to home. She knew she had to make it before curfew or else the military police would toss her in the back of their cop car. She had seen it happen once from her bedroom window.

It wasn’t pretty.

She had an hour left to find the answer to a question she wasn’t even sure had been asked. ‘Mythology: A child of-’ no. ‘The moon-’ no. ‘A person who-’ no. Curiosity fading, she half-heartedly typed in ‘define demon’. Why had she even been so curious in the first place? She couldn’t remember. Must not have been that important.

There it was! ‘Demon: an evil spirit or devil, especially one thought to possess a person.’ That was it! That’s how she recalled the titans. But there were still so many important pieces missing. Mikasa grabbed her head and leaned on a wall to support herself. She felt like an entire lifetime had passed by while she was asleep in that hospital. And finding answers would start with hunting down the problem: that guy with the cape…didn’t he have a cravat too? No, no, that was stupid.

If she could find a demon, she could find him. But where did titans hide? The movies! What would happen in the movies? Well, the sun was starting to set, that was good. Creepy crawly things always came out at night. But where was she going to find a place that even seemed remotely haunted? This wasn’t 2020, there weren’t any spooky graveyards to go hide in. Any abandoned houses had been flattened to make way for the new metal skyscrapers. There was nowhere…secluded…or dark, or lonely, or any of those other scary movie elements.

Wait.

The hospital.

Mikasa spun on a dime darted back to the building she had left just a few hours prior.

…

Levi was already panting, but he had to try harder. He could beat this. He had gotten rid of much bigger, much more disgusting. It was time to bring out the big guns. He reached over to the pushcart and revealed a bottle of lime-away. That nasty spot on the floor didn’t have a chance.

If any other god were offered this job they would probably turn it down. But they didn’t understand. Nothing got as filthy as a hospital. Nothing. Good thing the janitor was as lazy as he was. He was even willing to pay Levi to get the job taken care of. As a god, it was his sacred duty to never deny a cry for help; especially when an offering was involved.

Levi suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle. A low growl echoed through the halls. Damn, they were here already. It didn’t matter though, he could easily fight off the small fry that hung around and he knew it. Considering how many weak people it harbored, the hospital was a territory fiercely defended from titans by all the gods. Usually he kept mopping, trying to keep from shouting at them to a fight a bit quieter. When there wasn’t any major threat nearby, he was left to his own devices. Now was one of those times.

Bang! The sound was amplified by the empty hallways, and Levi sat motionlessly. A trashcan soared past the open door and clanged with each strike against the floor as it bounced to a halt. The stench of rotting flesh started to pollute the air. A long shadow began to spread through the doorframe, and Levi watched with narrow eyes.

It was here.

A large hand reached from the darkness, thick fingers covered with blood. Then the other took hold of the upper doorframe. Red eyes illuminated the corridor, a reptilian hiss flooding the room. The head of the beast began to emerge. It lacked hair of any kind, and an ugly, crooked nose with flaring nostrils jutted from its face, where the skin clung so tight that the entire outline of the skull was clear. Still Levi did not move. With each shift something swished from side to side. It was strips of flesh stuck between its teeth, still dripping with scarlet liquid.

They made eye contact.

“Look, you got all this disgusting blood all over the floor I just mopped. Now I’m going to have to start all over again. Fuck you,” Levi snarled.

It pounced. Small titans were weak but fast. He dodged the monster and rolled to the side. “Ral!” he called, but nothing happened. Oh yeah. Fuck Petra. Instead his eyes shifted rapidly. Weapons. He didn’t need to kill it, just wound it enough for a quick escape.

Levi stayed crouching as he snatched a broom and kicked the supply cart into the titan’s gut. He wasn’t going to waste energy diving and leaping all night. The sooner this was over with the better. The ugly piece of shit threw the cart aside and let out a ferocious roar. “Yeah, yeah, I know you’re upset,” Levi groaned, brandishing the broom.

As the titan charged, Levi darted toward it, broomstick pointed like a spear. He was met by one of its revolting hands, and in one strike, it broke the broom in half. “Fuck,” Levi muttered, looking at the leftover splinters in each hand.

“Move!” Mikasa yelled as she struck a powerful blow straight into the titan’s temple. Levi dropped the sticks in shock. The creature was flung through the air like a rag doll, striking the wall and sliding to the floor. Its head was bent at a frightening contorted position, and when he inspected closer, he could hardly look away.

The titan’s head had been almost completely severed through her spare force. Was this girl on steroids?! She wasn’t even breathing heavy! Mikasa stepped back, leering at him as she brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “I got it.” But Levi began shaking his head, pointing at the beast.

“That thing? It was hardly fifteen feet tall. It was a shrimp,” Levi scoffed, and averted his gaze with an irritated, “Tch.”

Mikasa knew he would never acknowledge her fighting capabilities. Some god he was, having to rely on her rescue. Levi would probably be dead if it wasn’t her. She glanced down and tapped the decaying body with her foot. Blood was flowing from the nearly decapitated monstrosity. Gross.

This was a titan. It had to be.

“Alright, you got to see your trophy. We have to go.” Levi snatched her wrist, but she pulled away.

“What? Why?”

“Because, it’s not dead and only a strike to the neck with a shinki will kill it. And if you haven’t noticed, you and I are the only actual people here; and you wouldn’t happen to be sacred treasure, would you?” Levi asked bitterly, one leg already on the windowsill. “We don’t have the time to put up with your doubt right now, so just shut your trap and follow me.”

“How?!” Mikasa asked incredulously. This was a guy who could practically fly and land a punch without looking behind him. Sure he was a moron, but he wasn’t too helpless.

“When you’re a phantom you can move like a cat, now get going!” He had already jumped before Mikasa noticed a tail was again dangled from her waist with absolutely no explanation. A phantom? As in ghost?! What did that even mean?!

The titan let out a low moan and Mikasa watched the severed skin begin to meld back together. Nope nope nope nope. She barely glanced down before she leapt, going twice the distance than she could have ever imagined.

“About time. I could have re-cleaned that entire hospital while waiting for you. That titan’s almost healed. Run.” She chased after him, and they hopped from building to building, along lampposts and street signs, constantly on the move. Finally Levi darted downward, kicking off from wall to wall in a form of parkour until he reached the ground. Watching her, Levi noticed Mikasa was nearly as agile.

She crossed her arms, obviously scrutinizing. “You called me a phantom, and you called those titan things spirits. Am I the same as those things? I want answers, Levi,” Mikasa demanded.

“You want my help? You have to make me an offering,” Levi replied. His mouth didn’t so much as twitch, but his eyes were laughing. Mikasa just glared at him, plainly unamused. “Usually gods want money, but since you helped me so much, I’ll make a generous offer: black tea. Bring me that and my assistance is yours.” Mikasa heaved an overdramatic sigh. This man was a piece of work. She gave him a nod and headed out on to the street. She wasn’t even surprised by him anymore. Tea instead of money? Yeah sure, why not. Might as well accept it like every other thing that had been happening.

“You have to come with me, I don’t know what brand you like.” Levi was instantly convinced and followed her along.

Levi saw the shadow before anything else. “Shit, it found us!” Levi barked, once again reaching for the absent Petra. The titan loomed over them, backing them back into the alley as it loomed over them, cutting off an escape from above. Levi needed something. Anything.

And with the desperate need came a tiny ball of bright green light, floating around the fire escape. He sighed. It was another stupid teenager, a fifteen year old boy. He would have to do. “Hey brat, you’ve got nowhere to go and nowhere to return, so from now on, my name is Levi, and you’re a servant of mine.” Mikasa and Levi were both constantly backing up as the titan’s drool splattered where they had been standing with each step. “Now I’m stuck with you. You’ll answer to-”

“Eren,” Mikasa interrupted immediately. “Name him Eren Jaeger. Please.” Levi was so surprised by her sudden tone of grief that the name left his lips before he knew what he was saying.

“You’re Eren as a human, and Hunter as shinki. Now come, Hunter!”

There was hardly any time to see what that little floating orb had become.

Time froze.

Dozens of images flashed before Levi’s eyes.

A brunette boy, no older than four, ran through an enormous house covered in dirt, tracking mud all over the floor as his mom chased him. He was laughing all the while. So much innocence. Now he was maybe six, staring at a book in wonder with a blond boy. The next scene was the same brown haired boy, around nine years old, pouncing on a man and repeatedly driving a knife into the man’s chest, up, down, up, down, blood flying everywhere as he cried and screamed. He killed another with a blade on a broom, and with his encouragement, a little girl finished off the last, saving his life. Levi recognized her instantly.

It was Mikasa.

The next second they both appeared outside, the same age, and Eren wrapped the red scarf she was wearing now around her neck. Another change. They begged to bunk together. Next. He continually got into fights, and Mikasa always saved him. The boy dropped out of school, swearing to join the military. Suddenly Levi was watching the blond get cremated. Even more violent flashes were appearing now. This kid was sneaking out, hunting down suspects on the news. Beating them to near death and leaving them for the military police to do as they pleased. He finally found the people who had killed the blond. And he didn’t get his revenge. There was a glimpse of a knife, and everything went blank. Levi snorted.

Uncorrupted soul his ass.

Now armed with blades forged in the fires of sheer hatred, Levi became a blur. Mikasa could barely comprehend where he was at any given moment. The only way she knew he was armed with swords was because of the resulting sprays of blood from each strike. She blinked and he was standing right beside her, steam rolling off his cheek as the dots of blood evaporated.

The titan stood standing. But only for a moment. The cuts appeared, and the body collapsed, chunks lading in separate directions as a result of the slashes. The head rolled to their feet with jaws still gaping.

“Hunter.”

The two blades leapt from Levi’s hands and melded into one bright light. Bare feet touched down delicately and its form continued to manifest until an entire body wrapped in a white robe stood before them. No. It couldn’t be. Breathing. Human. Perfectly alive.

Mikasa darted into his arms, crushing him in her tight grasp as if he were last tether to Earth. “Eren,” she whispered.

The last time she had seen her brother alive, he was sneaking out his bedroom window. What was he doing this time? He was going to find whoever had did that Armin. I’m going with you. No, he needed her to cover for him. Just this once. This was the last time. Promise. Trust me, I’m coming back home. Don’t you believe in me?

Yes.

He hadn’t lied. But when he promised he’d come back, she had no idea it would be in a body bag. After that she only got to see her brother in a casket. She had spread his ashes. She was the first to lay a white rose along the mahogany lid. She watched furnace light around that goddamn coffin. Their dad hadn’t even been there; on some emergency call in Germany or something. Her mom had wrapped her in a tender embrace. But Mikasa no longer felt the warmth. She only dug her fist into the worn red scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. It still smelled like Eren. But she wouldn’t get the chance to smell it again, to snap at him to take a shower or nag about putting on deodorant. So help her, if she had to tell him one more time, she would pray to the gods for intervention.

No more arguing. All about such stupid things. He had saved her life. She could be getting tortured right now. For fuck’s sake, they had both stained their hands red with blood side by side. And she had been too busy following him, acting as a bodyguard and bossing him around; “Eren, eat” “Eren, make your bed” “Eren, is it so hard to put your plate in the dishwasher?”

She thought there was a still a dirty plate left in his room. If it wasn’t for the maid he would have lived wallowing in his own filth.

If she agreed to quit ordering him around, would they give him back?

Who were “they”…?

“Eren,” Mikasa repeated, savoring the sweet word against her tongue. She had so much to say, but the only thing that came out was her only brother’s name. She felt something slip down her cheek as she buried her face in his shoulder. Finally.

Finally she could cry again.

He took hold of her shoulders. “Do I know you?” Eren asked.

Mikasa’s jaw dropped. Was he, no, no he wasn’t joking. The sincere confusion shone brightly in his eyes. “It’s me, Mikasa. You’re sister?” she insisted, suddenly overtaken with fear.

He turned to Levi, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed the entire time. “I have a sister?” Eren asked, his eyebrow knotted as he struggled to remember a life now gone. Levi just gave another shrug.

“She’s standing right there, moron,” he groaned. 

Before anyone knew what was happening, Eren was flying through the air, Mikasa’s fist still posed. “Eren, I know you remember! Playing pretend won’t get me to forgive you! What did I tell you about that vigilante justice thing?! How many times did I ask you to stop? When I promised not to tell mom, it was so you wouldn’t get in trouble! And where did that get you?! Where…” her voice cracked as she remembered listening to the phone ring at one in the morning.

Mom. She was crying.

Eren is dead. He was killed. His head was completely severed.

But he wasn’t. Not now. The moron was still intact.

Eren was rubbing his jaw now. “Fuck, that hurt! Why did you-” the air rushed out of his lungs as she hugged him again.

“Your little reunion over yet?” Levi muttered, and Mikasa and Eren both jumped. “Yeah, believe it or not, I’m still here.” He looked Eren up and down. “I guess you’ll do. As long as you don’t make me say any long ass speech about soiling humanity or whatever, I’ll keep you on as my shinki.” Levi couldn’t let them in on just how desperately he had to search for an uncorrupted soul. If he acted like it was an easy find, it would probably make this kid more manageable, because, who isn’t afraid of being replaced by someone who needs them?

“Wait, what?” Eren squawked. His only reply was Levi drawing a symbol in the air. He gasped and nearly tripped as the flesh along his collarbone began to glow, and as it faded, two wings were revealed, seared into his chest.

“From here on, I’m still your master and you’ll treat me as such. Understand?”

The wonder in Eren’s eyes vanished instantly. “I’m not taking orders from anyone! Especially a guy in a cape with a napkin in his shirt.” Mikasa blinked and Levi had Eren by the throat, fury emanating from his very being.

“It’s. A. Fucking. Cravat.” He slammed Eren against a metal, fingers tightening. “Got it?”

“Get your hands off him!” Mikasa snarled, rushing forward. But he caught her foot flying through the air with ease. In the graceful motion of a dancer, he kicked her other leg out from underneath her without moving in inch from his spot.

“This is between me and him,” Levi hissed as she collided with the cement. But he released Eren. He dropped to the ground, grabbing his neck as he coughed. He kicked Eren in the gut and Eren’s entire body jolted. “Oh please, stop being so overdramatic. I saved your soul from damnation, don’t you fucking get that? Now I have to feed you and find some place for your whiney ass to sleep. But I don’t have to put up with your shit, I can easily throw you right back out there, so show me some fucking respect!”

Mikasa had Eren by the arm before he could launch himself onto Levi again. “Don’t worry Eren, if he does anything like that again, I’ll strangle him with his own intestines.” Levi raised an eyebrow. These were definitely some colorful teenagers. Why did he have to get stuck with them? He could already tell that brat’s sister was going to be following them like a bloodhound.

“Now that we have that settled, show me what you can really do, Jaeger. Hunter!” Levi commanded, and Eren was enveloped in the same glowing green light. Mikasa began forward but stopped when Levi flicked up his hand.

The light left the ground and wrapped around Levi’s waist, splitting off at the center and curling around him, from his ankles to his wrists.

Then the light evaporated.

Levi couldn’t say a word as his body sagged slightly under the weight of his new shinki. He wasn’t about to tell the kid that he had never seen anything like this before.

Leather belts crisscrossed his body, most focused around his hips to hold up the gears that clinked with every movement. But they also formed suspenders, curving over his shoulders to a plate on his chest that held each upper strap in place. But the shoulder straps felt awkward, as if slightly loose. Two large mental crates topped with gas tanks hung at his sides like revolvers. He looked from hand to hand at his new swords. That wasn’t an accurate description. No, at the end of each weapon extended a long, savage razor blade. From the bottom of both handles, steel wires trailed right around to the front of his new maneuver gear.

One of the things he still couldn’t figure out was those metal boxes. “What are these for…Jaeger,” Levi uttered, unable to hide his surprise as he drew a new blade from within a slot. Although he did find it a bit strange that he had to grab a new blade from behind. Levi debated for a moment, and then pressed his thumbs against the buttons near the top of the handles, and both blades popped off.

“Hey watch it!” Eren shouted.

“I’m getting real sick of your voice,” Levi grumbled, eyes tracking the wire. He found it ended in a series of gears that rested against his gut. What the hell were those for? He looked again at the sword handles and stared at the metal pieces hanging in front of the grip. They almost looked like triggers.

“Dare ya to,” Eren whispered giddily and Levi took several slow, deep breathes. He wasn’t about to show a single shaken nerve in front of them. Why should he be a little cautious around a new type of shinki? It was just Jaeger. “What’s the matter, chicken? I can feel your hands getting sweaty. Pretty gross if you ask me,” Eren jeered, and Levi rammed the handle into the side of one of the crates. “Ow, hey!”

“When I tell you to shut up, it’s not a request,” Levi hissed. With that, he pulled both triggers full-force.

Mikasa had never imagined Levi was capable of screaming, but she knew she was definitely capable of laughing. Two steel cables activated by the triggers shot out, burying their thick metal clamps into the side of an apartment building. Levi blasted backwards into the wall ass-first, his head following after with a dull thud. Levi slowly slid to the ground in a cruel rendition of the treatment he had just given his shinki.

“What the hell, Eren?!” Levi snarled.

“Hey, I’m new at this too!” Eren shot back. “I don’t even know what’s happening!” At this point Mikasa was also on the ground from how hard she was laughing. She couldn’t hear Eren, it just looked like Levi was shouting at his swords.

Struggling to breathe, she climbed back up, lending a hand to Levi. But he knocked it aside, his face dark as he continued his seemingly one-sided argument. “Maybe you put it on backwards,” Mikasa suggested lightly. She didn’t have to be able to hear him to know Eren fell silent in unison with Levi. The look on the god’s face was one she would cherish forever. The blank slate he had been constantly straining to maintain was finally broken. His lips parted slightly, his eyes growing wide as he quickly began scrambling to undo what looked like an endless number of belts. “Why not just call him back and try again?” Levi looked ready to ram the sword straight through her.

“Hunter.” The gear regained its green glow and fled from Levi’s body, reforming the body of its own. The final result was Eren rubbing his arms as he shuddered. “You’ll get used to it,” Levi announced before Eren had the chance to complain. “Get it right this time. You’re lucky gods aren’t weak.”

“Whatever.”

“Hunter.” This glowing transition occurred once more. This time the gears, wire wrapped tightly around them, were placed safely along the small of his back. The leather chest plate had transitioned to his back as well. “Way to go genius, maybe this time you’ll be useful.” Tentatively, Levi clamped down on the right trigger. A cable shot forward faithfully, and he was lifted along the wall without being scraped against it.

“Good job, Levi,” Mikasa said with a slow clap.

“Don’t patronize me,” he grumbled, releasing the left wire into the wall opposite. The first clamp released and he swung gracefully to the other side of the alley. “See? I’m fine. I can use my own gear.” Mikasa had no idea how long she sat in that alleyway, laughing and clapping as she watched Levi swing from side to side as a monkey does from vine to vine.

“Let’s use both!” Eren finally cheered enthusiastically, and Levi smirked, squeezing down on both triggers.

And that smirk was slammed straight into the unforgiving apartment complex.

“Hunter,” Levi spat, and Eren’s human form materialized on the ground, already trapped in a fit of laughter. He and Mikasa were both howling as Levi began his shouting again about how he deserved respect and all that.

“Hello?” a wary voice called. “Is anyone down there?” The three gasped and looked up in unison to find a woman staring back down at them from her window. “By the gods, are you okay?!” her voice jumped three octaves as she vanished back into her room.

“Shit, someone heard us. Come on brat, we’re leaving.” Levi snatched Eren’s wrist.

“Wait!” Eren cried.

“But-” Mikasa started.

Levi’s voice dropped low and he leaned in. Usually Levi was just an asshole, but this time he was dead serious. “Jaeger we have to go. The police are coming and you’re supposed to be dead. On the off chance they see you…it’d be better if they didn’t.”

“Why are the police coming?!” Mikasa asked. Levi pointed as the woman from her apartment rounded the corner.

“By the gods, are you okay sweetheart?!” the woman wailed, pulling out her cell phone.

“Well, because your body’s over there.” Mikasa had been watching the woman shake her unconscious body for several seconds before realizing she had left it behind. Again. Her red tail waved about, as if happy to be free.

“Can’t you-” Mikasa started, but Levi and Eren were already gone.

“Quit leaving me!” Mikasa demanded before she grew light headed. Her vision became fuzzy and she fell right into her body. Then everything went dark.


End file.
